Midterm Exam - Topic 1: Understanding Culture & Worldview Flashcards
What are the three approaches to learning about intercultural communication? How are they different? Which approach are we using in this course?
Cross Cultural Knowledge: learning to value other cultures and respect their views
Mindfulness: continually observing & understanding cultural meanings and using that understanding as a basis for long term learning
Skill: developing a repertoire of behaviors that will allow them to act appropriately and successfully
What is culture?
“Culture consists of shared mental programs that condition individuals’ responses to their environment” – Teaching people how to behave in culture. It’s a pattern so it is ongoing, socialization
Describe & differentiate Hoftede’s three levels of mental programming
Personality: Inherited & learned; individualistic – (Ex: hunger, territoriality & nurturing)
Culture: Learned; specific to groups – (Ex: Cultural values, attitudes & assumptions)
Human Nature: Universal; Biological- (Ex: Sociable, or introverted, emotional or stable)
Describe the culture as iceberg model. What is its purpose? What does it tell us about culture?
You don’t understand all the cultural norms and practices. There are assumptions made about a culture when they only know a portion about the culture’s characteristics. They aren’t aware of the complete context or history behind it.
Identify and explain the characteristics of culture (i.e. based on symbols, shared, learned, transmitted, patterned, invisible, subject to change). Be able to give examples.
CULTURE IS… • Shared • Learned & is enduring • Is a powerful influence on behavior • Systematic and organized • May be ‘tight’ or ‘loose’ • Largely invisible
How is culture learned? What is the difference between explicit and implicit learning?
Culture is passed down and something to change it can be learned implicitly and explicitly.
Implicit: Modeling behavior; the child would watch and observe others
Explicit: Caregivers, guardians, and parents tell you how to engage within the culture
Describe the means by which culture can change (innovation, diffusion, acculturation)? Which is most associated with “globalization”?
In terms of innovation, it is the production or start of a culture or the characteristics of the culture.
Cultural Diffusion is the spreading and merging of different pieces of culture. *This would be the closest to Globalization.
Acculturation is the assimilation to a different culture. In other terms, it is the balancing of the
Why is culture important? What does it do?
Culture is important because it…
- provides a blueprint for behavior
- makes the world predictable
- shapes our worldview
- determines membership
- in group vs out group
What is a worldview? How does it develop?
A worldview is the lens through which people make sense of the world around them
Discuss factors that constrain and limit our abilities to accurately perceive others and situations (e.g. physiological differences, expectations, etc).
What are ethics? How are they relevant to the study of intercultural communication?
Ethics are the principles that govern a person’s behavior.
What is the difference between a relative and universal approach to culture?
Relative approach states that we always must understand the context for why people do those specific things.
Universal Approach states “my way of seeing the world is right & everyone should follow it”
What is cultural competence? What are the characteristics of culturally competent people?
Cultural competence- the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from cultures or belief systems that differ from your own. Characteristics include social awareness of differentiated cultures and customs whist also aware of ones own. This may come from experience within other cultures or people with different beliefs
What is ‘cultural cruise control’? Give an example. How can it be overcome?
Cultural cruise control- one’s own values and attitudes about how life should be lived dominating their judgments
